The Sword in the Stone
by Czechm8
Summary: Two American teenagers arrive at Anubis House the same day Joy Mercer disappears. One male, one female. Both destined by the gods. Both searching for answers. Join Nehemiah Reyes as destiny's are discovered, secrets are exposed, and danger is at every turn. OC belongs to me. Rewriting. Temporarily discontinued. PM if you would like to continue. Must have account.
1. Chapter 1

House of Anubis Season 1 Trailer

Orator: Warning:

A warning sign shows up on the screen

Orator: Minimal changes to the plot. Featuring Nehemiah Reyes

Show a picture of Nehemiah Reyes in the taxi cab.

Orator: Nina Martin

Show a picture of Nina Martin introducing herself as the American.

Orator: Fabian Rutter

Show a picture of Fabian telling Nina to sit wherever she'd like.

Orator: Amber Millington

Show a picture of Fabian introducing me to Amber.

Orator: Patricia Williamson

Show a picture of Patricia dumping water on Nina.

Orator: Jerome Clarke

Show a picture of Jerome Clarke playing chess with Mara.

Orator: Alfie Lewis

Show a picture of Alfie nominating Amelia Pinches.

Orator: Mick Campbell

Show a picture of Mick Campbell doing a cheer for Mara.

Orator: Joy Mercer

Show a picture of Joy being escorted to a car by Mr. Sweet.

Orator: Mara Jaffray

Show a picture of Mara delivering her winning speech.

Orator: Victor Rodenmaar

Show a picture of Victor giving me the tour.

Orator: Trudy Rehman

Show a picture of Trudy handing me chocolate chip cookies.

Orator: Sarah Frobisher-Smythe

Show a picture of Sarah giving Nina her locket.

Orator: Eric Sweet:

Show a picture of Eric in the Secret Society.

Orator: Daphne Andrews

Show a picture of Mrs. Andrews handing Rufus a package.

Orator: And Rufus Zeno

Show a picture of Rufus threating to put a venomous sand fly in Amber's ear.

Orator: Minimal appearances by Mrs. Mulligan, Alfie's dad, Alfie's mom, Roby, Amelia Pinches, Uncle Ade, Mr. Mercer, Nurse Delia, Mr. Rutter, Mrs. Rutter, and the taxi driver.

Orator: Special appearances by Mrs. Reyes

Show a picture of my grandma having a snowball fight with Victor.

Orator: And Thoth

Show a picture of Thoth in "Egypt".

Orator: Plot

Show a picture of an index card with the word Plot

Orator: Two American teenagers arrive at Anubis House the same day Joy Mercer disappears. One male, one female. Both destined by the gods. Both searching for answers.

"**Sibuna."**

"**Welcome to the Secret Society."**

Orator: Join Nehemiah Reyes as destiny's are discovered,

"**I know bless Nehemia Reyes with the knowledge of the universe."**

Orator: Secrets are exposed

"**Guys, Nehemia's in the Secret Society."**

"**Robert Frobisher-Smythe is alive?!"**

"**The Blackbird's not Corbierre."**

"**That's Robert's diary. It was thought to have been lost forever."**

"**There are two eyes of Horus?!"**

"**The war between good and evil is just beginning. Many will live. Many will die. You will lead the world into destruction or you will restore it. The fate of the world rests in your hands. Good luck Nehemiah Reyes."**

Orator: And danger is at every turn

"**Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"**

"**You were nearly killed."**

"**Ninaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"**

"**Don't die on me."**

Orator: Coming soon

"**The sword in the stone will be miiiiiine!"**

Everything goes black.


	2. Chapter 2

Well, hey everyone. I'm Czechm8 and this is my first House of Anubis Story. I've watched all 3 seasons and am giving you the opportunity to go on the same adventure, this time with Nehemiah Reyes. Now there are a few plot twists, but, I hope you enjoy this nonetheless. I don't own House of Anubis, only the plot twists, which should be self-evident, and my OC's, Nehemiah Reyes and his family. I incorporated several quotes in Grandpa's dying statement, including Judith McNaught. I don't own those quotes either. "Extra Credit" for anyone who can tell me who the Blackbird is (IT IS NOT CORBIERRE!), and what the sword in the stone is (IT IS NOT EXCALIBER!). PM or leave a review.

Chapter 1

Nehemiah's POV

"Nemo!" my grandma, Winn, cried from somewhere downstairs.

"Yes Gran," I responded.

"Nemo!" my grandma cried, louder this time.

"Yes Gran," I responded louder.

"Nemo!" my grandma cried even louder. I swear she was becoming deaf.

I sighed, threw **Atheism: The Case Against God** by George H. Smith on my bed, and walked downstairs.

"Yes Gran," I responded, once downstairs.

"I need you to pick some things up from the grocery store. There's a list on the fridge."

"Okay sure." I grabbed the list, hopped in the car, and drove off to the store.

Winn Richards, or Gran as I call her, was a mother to me. After my dad died in the military saving his men and my mom died protecting me, I went to live with my grandparents, Winn and Robbie. Robbie died shortly after my thirteenth birthday. He was 104.

While he lay on his deathbed, he told me so much. He told me, "Listen to your heart, calling you to trust yourself. Listen to it because at the end of the day, it's the voice that will never fail you. Be true to yourself and you can be true to others. To become an effective listener, you need to learn the power of silence. Silence gives you the opportunity to think about what is being said before you respond. Sometimes, you just have to stop thinking and just go where your heart takes you. There will be a few times in your life when all your instincts will tell you to do something, something that defies logic, upsets your plans, and may seem crazy to others. When that happens, you do it. Listen to your instincts and ignore everything else. Ignore logic, ignore the odds, ignore the complications, and just go for it. It is time for me to go too. Goodbye." With that, my Grandpa died. It took me a while to recover. It took my gran even longer.

However, his speech encouraged me to do better in life. I am literally learning everything that I can.

Winn Reyes had short blonde hair which was now grey, and light blue eyes. She met Robbie almost 60 years ago. Almost 50 years ago, they got married at Loft On Lake. She loved singing, writing poetry, and feeding the birds.

My name is Nehemiah Reyes and I am a 15 year old with wavy blonde hair and light blue eyes. My girlfriend, Amanda Young, was in New York. She had received an acting award at a very young age. I wrote my own songs, played guitar, and was a great chess player.

I came back from the store to find my friends car in my driveway. After parking the car I practically ran in, eager to great my friends.

"Surprise," my friends cried when I entered the door.

"Thanks guys. But why? My birthday is for about a week."

"You won't be here," Gran interrupted.

"Where will I be?" I asked confused.

Gran smiled. "I'll be right back." She left for upstairs and came back with a folder. In it was my registration for Anubis House. It was a boarding school in England.

"There's more dude," Alex, my friend cried handing me an envelope. I opened the envelope up and saw a plane ticket for me. It was for London England and was leaving in two and a half days.

A long two days later, it was time to say goodbye. Ian, Gary, Alex, Charlotte, and my Gran all came to the airport to say one last goodbye to me. I had my suitcase and had already checked in. We were at the luggage drop.

A lady's voice rang out through the intercom,

_Flight 43 to London, England is now boarding._

That was my flight. This moment definitely came too soon for my liking.

"I'll miss you, Nemo…" Aaron stated.

I smiled in his direction and gave him a big hug. The next person, my gran, held me tightly and slowly stroked my hair.

She kissed my forehead and said, "Be good son…I'll miss you."

"I will and I'll miss you too, Gran..."

"I love you, Nemo…I love you so much," she said.

"I love you too, Gran…"

After saying goodbye to Ian, and Gary, I said my last goodbye to Charlotte. I felt tears running down my face as we hugged. After promising that we would get in touch, I started heading towards the gate.

I tried not to cry again as I continued walking towards the entrance of the plane. Soon, a flight attendant greeted me.

"Hello, Nehemiah. Take a seat anywhere you'd like."

"Thanks."

After storing my suitcase and buckling up, I took a seat near the window. I saw all my friends waving goodbye and waved goodbye back.

The plane started moving towards the runaway and I knew this was it… I am really leaving Chicago. I put on a brave face and braced myself for what's to come.

As the plane's engine got revved up, I found myself whispering under my breath, "Goodbye Chicago… I'll be coming home soon."

Soon after I said that, the plane started to gain speed. I felt the plane beginning to ascend into the sky. This was really it… I am going to England now. There is no turning back now…


	3. Chapter 3

Here is Chapter 2. I don't own House of Anubis or Papa was a Rolling Stone. I only own Nehemiah Reyes and the plot twists. If I get at least 3 reviews, I will share the song I wrote when my grandma died.

Chapter 2

_House of Arrival_

I entered Delemare Train station and headed back to wait for my ride, a taxi ordered by the airport. The ride to Liverpool took 15 hours by plane plus an additional 5 hours on train. I couldn't wait to get to Anubis House. For once, I could finally stop moving.

I didn't have to wait for long before a taxi pulled up.

"Nehemiah Reyes," a tall man, maybe 6'1" with green eyes and grey hair asked in his British accent.

"Yes, sir," I replied proudly.

"An activist I see," the man noted. He power walked to me and offered his hand. I dropped my suitcase, registration form, and guitar case and shook his hand.

"Hop in, love," the driver ordered.

Love was one term of affection I hated the British for. I hopped in and after the driver put my suitcase and guitar case in the trunk, we were off.

"So, this is your first time here in England," the man guessed.

"Yep. I'm excited," I admitted.

"I noticed a guitar case back there. What guitar you got?"

"Steel string. It's hell on my fingers, though."

"I know. I tried playing my Uncles steel string. Couldn't emit a note."

"You just have to press down hard. It took me two weeks before my fingers stopped bleeding."

"What kind of music you play on there?"

"Country, hip hop, and some originals."

"Nice, nice. Could I hear an original?"

"Okay let me think….okay. Here's one called Papa Was a Rolling Stone. I wrote it a couple weeks after my Grandpa died. It was the third of September/ the day I'll always remember/Cause that was the day my Daddy died…And when he died/All he left us was a loan, a loan, a loan, a loan/ Papa was a rolling stone."

"What the hell?! You wrote that?! I'm overly impressed. That needs to go to the market, it's sure to be a hit. I hate to leave, but we're here." The driver and I both got out. I took the guitar while the man took my suitcase.

"How much for the ride?" I asked.

"Free. It's the least I can do," he replied handing me my suitcase. I took it.

"And here, take my card. I'm available if you ever need a ride."

"But—"

"I'll be fine. Take it. I insist." I gave in, took his card, and waited till he drove away before picking up my suitcase. I took one step and stopped. I didn't know where I was going. I turned around, forgetting the driver had since left.

"Idiot," I muttered to myself. I decided to take my chances and headed straight through the trees. A short time later, I reached a huge building, maybe a hundred feet tall. It took me a while before I realized it was a school. I would definitely be able to reach Anubis House with some help.

As I rounded the school, looking for an opening, I spotted an English girl of maybe 16 with brown hair that fell in to locks and brown eyes. She looked pretty. She was being escorted to a black van by a distinguished looking man with a red bow tie and a black overcoat. He appeared to be in his late 50's and had brown eyes and grey hair.

At the time, the grey hair struck me as odd. However, I immediately dismissed it, having heard of people in their 30's with grey hair.

The girl pulled back in fright when she saw the driver, but the man must have said something comforting as she stepped forward. A hand reached out and this time, the girl walked in. Seconds later, the car was off. I only noticed a rich looking lady in the back seat of the car.

It struck me as odd that the lady in the back seat looked rich while the girl didn't. More likely than not, the school had a dress code and jewelry was not allowed. It was also possible the two were not related at all. Could I have just seen a kidnapping? I dismissed the thought, wanting to stay positive. Besides, why kidnap someone in broad daylight?

"Sir! Sir!" I cried, hoping the man would hear me. I mustn't have been loud enough as he walked away. I sighed, and walked inside. To my dismay, I didn't see the man I had called to. This was a school, so clearly this man was a teacher. He couldn't have walked too far.

I wandered around the school for what felt like ages looking for the man. Before I was about to barge in to a random door, a bell rang and hundreds of students headed for who knows where. I took my chances and asked the first person I saw, a girl of maybe 16 with long blonde hair, green eyes and braces, if she knew where Anubis House was. She didn't know. The next three I talked to didn't know either. However, the fifth, an African American with curly brown hair and brown eyes, did.

"Can you show me," I asked.

"It'll cost ya," he explained.

He wanted money in exchange for information. "I'm not giving you anything until I'm sure you'll lead me to Anubis House."

"Too bad."

What to do now? He was clearly interested in money, so what would motivate him? Free money? Not happening. "Later." With that, I left. I next talked to a handsome looking boy with brown hair and blue eyes.

"Excuse me, sir," I began.

"Call me Fabian," the boy insisted.

Interesting name. "Can you show me where Anubis House is?" I asked.

"Of course. I live there." What luck! "Alfie was no help, huh," Fabian continued.

"The African American?" I asked. There sure were a lot of interesting names here in England.

"Yeah. That's the one."

"Wanted cash in advance, so I left."

"Wise move. He'd be likely to cheat you out of your money. May I take the guitar? I've got a guitar of my own."

"Please do." I handed the guitar case to Fabian and the two of us left. After a five to ten minute walk, we arrived in front of a huge Victorian styled house. Despite the renovations to the exterior of the house, it had to have been built in either the late 19th Century, or the early 20th Century.

"Wow," I gasped.

Fabian chuckled. "That what every guest says when they first set eyes on Anubis. Come on in, doors open," Fabian explained.

It would take time for me to associate Anubis with the house. I opened the door and stared at the banisters which were shaped like an eye.

"Come on Sir Lookalot. You'll have a chance to look at everything later," Fabian joked.

"Funny, the names Nehemiah Reyes."

"No kidding. We're roommates."

"Really? What luck! Where's my room?"

Fabian led me to my room. I put my suitcase, form, and guitar case on my bed and literally jumped in to bed. I was pooped.

"I'm exhausted. I've been up for over 24 hours. Can I take a nap?"

"Wouldn't advise it. Best to stay awake to a decent hour. Besides, you haven't met your other House members," Fabian advised.

I mentally groaned, but obeyed.

"You've met Alfie of course," Fabian noted, leading me in to the dining room. "There's Jerome," Fabian began, pointing to a tall looking male with a mop of blonde hair and sensitive brown eyes. He was sitting on the couch next to Alfie.

"They are the pranksters. Get on their good side," Fabian muttered to me.

I nodded. "That's Mara, the second brightest in school, next to me of course."

I rolled my eyes at that remark. Mara had medium length black hair and green eyes. Right now she was reading **Inside-Out Simplicity: Life-Changing Keys to your Most Important Relationships**.

"This here is our fashion queen, Amber," Fabian continued. She had long golden blonde hair and green eyes. She was the definition of a Barbie girl.

"And this is Patricia, our goth," Fabian continued. "Also get on her good side."

I nodded. Patricia was had short reddish brown hair, fiery green eyes and wore almost all black, except for her Sick Puppies T-Shirt.

"Where's Joy?" Fabian asked.

"Who's she?" I asked.

"Why do you care newbie?" Patricia asked getting up in my face.

"It's Nehemiah Reyes to you. And if she is who I think she is, I think she's been kidnapped."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 3

_House of Touring_

"Kidnapped? That's awful," Mara exclaimed.

"Is this who you saw?" Patricia asked, pulling out a postcard of her and Joy leaning on each other. Clearly, they were best friends.

I nodded.

"What did you see? Tell me everything you saw!" Patricia demanded.

I reluctantly told her everything, from seeing the girl to the van leaving.

"That sounds like Eric Sweet. If so, who was the woman in the back seat?" Patricia asked.

"Maybe she was just a friend?" Fabian guessed.

"Why the hesitation then?" Patricia asked.

"It's possible Joy didn't know the woman. I don't know all my Dad's friends from work," Fabian replied logically.

I felt like an idiot. Why did I think she was kidnapped? Must have been a bad vibe I felt and associated what I saw with the bad vibe.

"Okay. I just hope Victor will give me her home number. I also want to know the significance of Nina's sudden appearance, the same day Joy disappeared."

"Nina?"

"Yeah, she's new, American…" Patricia began. Suddenly, everyone became very quiet.

"Hey, I'm Nina. I'm from America," a female's voice spoke up. I turned around to find a pretty American with brown hair in locks and brown eyes.

"It's nice to meet a fellow American," I exclaimed.

"Welcome space girl, or as they say in your language me mooh blap," Alfie greeted. Everyone laughed.

"Dinner," another female cried. She was probably the housemother. I made my way to the table and sat between Alfie and Fabian, the first two Anubis students I met. Nina sat directly in front of Fabian.

Midway through dinner, I heard Mara exclaim, "Stop it Alfie, that's disgusting! And you're probably going to choke on it."

I peered over and saw Alfie with two forkfuls of pasta stuffed in his mouth. If I hadn't known any better, I would have said he was doing this to impress Nina.

"But it's delicious this way," Alfie managed to mumble.

"Alfie, don't play with your food," Jerome chastised. Just then, he shot some pasta over with his fork. It hit Alfie in the eye and Jerome began to laugh. I saw a glimpse of battle in Alfie's eyes. He picked up the salad and threw it at Jerome. A food fight was just begging to happen. I instinctively ducked under the table not wanted to be hit with food my first day here. Mara ducked under the table around the same time as me.

"Nice to see you, Nehemiah. Wanted to get away from the food fight. Good choice," Mara complimented.

"I didn't want to remember this day as being hit by pasta during a food fight. How often does this happen?" I asked.

"Agh! Really guys, every meal," I heard Fabian exclaim.

"Don't worry. It feels like it happens every meal though," Mara assured.

I heard the door open and then close momentarily. Who might that have been? Amber?

"Wait for it….wait for it…now," Mara whispered. On now, Mara and I slipped out from under the table.

Seconds later, I witnessed Patricia dump a pitcher of water on Nina. This was obviously revenge.

"Are you okay?" Fabian asked.

"Yeah, except I think my sweater is shrinking to my body as we speak," Nina managed to say. After I heard the two argue about the odd timing of Nina's arrival, a man came in. The man was dressed in a dusty brown suit and brown khaki's. He had piercing brown eyes and grey hair.

"Nina. Phone call for you. What's going on?" the man demanded. Jerome and Alfie had food all over their faces, pasta and salad was on the floor, and Nina was drenched in water.

"Nothing. Nina just spilt water everywhere," Patricia lied rather easily. I envy those people who lie easily.

"That's Victor," Jerome informed, suddenly putting a hand on my shoulder.

"Reyes! Lewis and Clarke! My office immediately!" Victor shouted.

I followed Alfie and Jerome up the stairs. At the top of the stairs, I saw it on my left. There was a door northeast of his office which led to who knows where.

"In, now," Victor barked.

Alfie, Jerome and I all piled in to Victor's messy office.

"What is the meaning of this? A food fight during dinner? Explain yourselves, now," Victor barked. Man, he was barky.

After hearing three versions of the same story, he handed Jerome and Alfie toothbrushes to clean the downstairs and upstairs toilet bowl.

"Everyone but Nehemiah may leave," Victor finally relayed. After Lewis and Clarke literally ran out of his office, he and I were face to face.

"Now that you are finally here, I am your caretaker Victor Rodenmaar," Victor began.

"What do you mean finally here? Am I late?"

"By 2 weeks. I don't need any of your excuses though. Now, you will be rooming with Fabian."

"Yes, I'm aware. He helped me unpack everything."

"Oh did he now? Very well. Has he given you a tour of the house yet?"

"Not yet," I admitted.

"Follow me, Mr. Reyes," Victor ordered.

I obeyed and followed him outside.

"This is my office. It is strictly out of bounds." Next, he led me through the door northeast of his office. He next pointed to the three rooms on his left.

"Girls rooms are closed after 10:00. Here is their bathroom, though you probably don't care about that, and the attic, which is strictly forbidden." The bathroom was right of the second door while the attic was right of the first door.

"Right by the attic is the linen closet if you need some. It gets very cold in the winter." Victor opened the door by the attic and handed me some linens. We next went downstairs.

"This here is your room. Come on out as soon as you have dropped your stuff off," Victor said, pointing to my room. I opened up the door, dropped the linens on my bed, and met back with Victor.

"Next to your room is Alfie and Jerome's room. That room, right there, is the bathroom," Victor continued. The bathroom was west of Alfie and Jerome's room. Victor led me to the front door. He pointed out the coat closet, right of the door, and the cellar, which was also strictly forbidden. It was behind the front door. He then led me to the dining room where there was a T.V. and a fireplace. North of that was the coffee table frequently used for meals. Between the table and dining room was someone's desk to the right. To the left were some globes and a telescope.

"At the far end of the kitchen and to the left is the laundry room and exit. Any questions?"

"Who's the couple?" I asked, pointing to a picture between the desk and the table. The couple was standing by the garden and the same eye design on the banister was seen at the back of the picture.

"They were the owners of the house. The man is Robert Frobisher-Smythe and the woman is his wife Louisa Frobisher-Smythe. They both died young, Robert, 41, and Louisa, 42."

"That's young all right. How?"

"I don't mean to scare you, but a double murder."

"Sorry I asked. Does the eye have any significance?"

"There have been 5 suggestions. One, the eye is part of Egyptian mythology and Robert studied Egyptian mythology. Two, the eye belonged to Horus, the god of protection. They were part of a group of archaeologists who discovered King Tut's tomb. It is believed they smuggled goods from the tomb, hid them in the house, and were protecting them. The goods were never found. It is impossible to say exactly what they stole. Three, according to mythology he lost his left eye in a fight for the throne with Seth. Then, he sacrificed his remaining eye as a guide for those lost in the desert. But anyways, the eye symbolizes their nature of death. Four, it was meant to be mysterious. Robert was a master in Egyptology ever since he was a kid. He is arguably the brightest Egyptologist in existence, along with George Edward Stanhope Molyneux Herbert, 5th Earl of Carnarvon and Howard Carter, the two who excavated King Tutankhamen's tomb. Robert is synonymous with the Tom Brady of Soccer, or Football in your case. He is mysterious because of codes he developed. It took over 70 years to translate one of his texts. And finally, just for looks." That was a long explanation.

"What's in the trunk by Alfie and Jerome's room? Right by the bathroom as well."

"That is where we found Louisa's dismembered corpse. I'm just messing with you. She's buried in the local graveyard. I can take you there if you want."

"I'll think about it" I probably would not follow him up on that.

"Anything else?"

"What happened to Joy?"

"Her parents came today and removed her from the school. Greatly upset Patricia."

"Why?"

"I was told by her mother her father's business went under. Anything else?"

"No thanks."

"I'll be in my office."

With that, I headed back to my room to take a nap.

"Sorry, I already set your linens. Would you like me to bring them back up?" Fabian asked.

"I'll do it. Let me just take a nap. Wake me up a couple minutes before 10 would ya," I asked, crawling in to bed. Fabian promised me he would. I closed my eyes and was soon fast asleep.

Fabian kept his promise and shook me awake at 9:50. I got ready for bed rather quickly, and headed back to my room. I got dressed in my pajamas and had just unpacked my first pair of socks, when I heard Victor exclaim, "It is 10 o'clock. You all know what that means. You have 5 minutes precisely, and then I shall want to hear a pin drop." Something, probably a pin, reverberated in the hall. Fabian came in seconds later.

"Does he do that every night?" I asked.

"Do what?" Fabian asked, pulling on some boxers.

"His 'I want to hear a pin drop' speech."

"Every night. I'm going to bed. Are you going to unpack your suitcase?"

"Yeah."

"Well goodnight. We wake up at 6:30." Fabian had now pulled up his sheets and was halfway to bed.

"Goodnight."

I finished unpacking at around 10:16. I had just gotten back in bed when I heard Victor exclaim, "Lights out, boy!" I turned off my lights and tried to go to sleep. Sleep finally came at 12:13.

I woke up at 3:15 that same day. I had only gotten 3 hours of sleep.

"I shouldn't have taken that nap," I mumbled. I tried to go back to sleep but found myself looking at the clock every couple of minutes.

At 4:45, I gave up on trying to sleep, and slipped outside. To my surprise, I saw Nina slipping downstairs.

"Jet lag get to you?" I asked.

"Yup. Decided to get started early. Patricia has been mean to me ever since I got here. I don't want to deal with her at 7," Nina admitted. Seconds later, we were in the kitchen.

"May as well make breakfast. I'll make eggs, pancakes, and fruit. Can you set the table for nine, put the orange juice, milk, and cereal on the table, and cut the strawberries," Nina hurled at me.

"Sure," I responded seconds later. I had to process all that in the early morning? Come on!

After lots of searching, I found the silverware, plates, and bowls. After setting the table for nine, I began my search for the cereal. I found four boxes of cereal and just put them all on the table. I got out the orange juice and the milk from the fridge and set them on the table.

"See if you can find any pancake mix," Nina cried, searching around for a frying pan. I ended up finding the pancake presser, syrup, and pancake mix on my search.

"I'm going to make an omelet. Can you make the pancakes?" Nina asked. I nodded and we switched places. I had just put the third pancake in when a medium height woman with black hair and green eyes came in. It was 5:10.

"Oh dearies. What can Trudy do to help?" the woman spoke up. She was the one who called us to dinner yesterday. She must be in charge of the meals.

"Make a fruit salad. I think we've got the rest," Nina explained. After completing my 15th pancake, Trudy offered to take over. She had finished the fruit.

"Go ahead. Eat. You deserve it," Trudy remarked. Nina and I were finished with breakfast by six and we left at 6:25.

As soon as we stepped outside, Nina ran up to an old lady, perhaps in her late 90's with curly grey hair and green eyes. She was either lost, or petrified.

"Are you lost? Oh, here take this. You must be cold," Nina began. The way she acted towards that old lady made me think she knew how to take care of seniors well. Perhaps she lived with one.

"I knew you two would come," the woman began.

Now she is loco. That was logistically impossible.

"Where do you live?" Nina asked.

"I can't go back there. It's evil."

Now this woman has lost it.

"I'll get Trudy. Make sure she doesn't try to run away," Nina hollered.

"There is evil in that house," the woman continued.

"Where?" I asked. She pointed towards Anubis House.

"Anubis House?" Just then, the woman started rocking back and forth. Anubis House seemed to invoke some kind of haunting memory as she turned from relaxed to panicked. I didn't know what to do. I didn't have to wait long before Nina and Trudy came rushing outside.

"Okay, what just happened?" Nina asked.

"I don't know. I don't know. All I said was… Anubis House," I admitted.

"Come on, Emily. Back to the nursing home," Trudy urged, "Kids. It's right of Anubis House about a mile. I've got to go back."

Trudy ran back inside, leaving the two of us with Emily. At her slow pace, it took twenty minutes to walk a mile. Upon our arrival, I headed straight back to look for a water fountain. I took a sip and rejoined Nina and Emily.

"Isn't that right, Emily?" the woman in charge spoke loudly. She had grey hair tied in a bun and brown eyes.

"I can hear. I'm not deaf you know," the woman corrected.

Nina and I smiled at that comment and followed Emily into her room. After she, the woman in charge, left, Emily gave Nina something and told her to keep it safe. It looked like the Eye of Horus. I had taken a seat on her bed.

"Can I see that, Nina?" I asked.

"Can he see it, Emily?" Nina asked.

"He can see it, but no one else can," Emily spoke secretively.

"Catch," Nina cried.

She tossed it too high and it sailed over my head. I butt-bounced (not sure how to describe it) off the bed and caught it. The momentum lifted me back in to the window. I broke through the glass and landed hard on my face.

"I kept it safe," was all I managed before everything went black.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 4

_House of Knowledge_

What felt like a long time later, I regained consciousness. I was lying in the sands of Egypt. How in God's name did I arrive here? I mustn't be fully awake.

"Wake up young one," a masculine voice said. I looked up and recoiled at the sight above me. The person, not distinguishable as any gender, was probably masculine. He had a crescent with a lunar disk supporting it on his head. His face was a mix of a dog, an ape, and some kind of bird. He carried a rod in one hand and an ankh in the other. He looked plain scary.

"Do not be afraid, Nehemiah Reyes. I am Thoth, god of wisdom and knowledge."

"Where exactly am I?" I asked.

"You are in a semi-conscious state between the mind and reality."

"And you are part of this semi-conscious state?" I deduced.

"Yes and no. I can exist wherever I want. I just chose to be here at this moment."

"Why did you come to see me?"

"Because, Nehemiah, it is time."

"What do you mean it's time?"

"You are related to me through a long history of genealogies. Every 17th birthday, for you that would be in the near future, a descendent will be entrusted with the knowledge of the universe. However, you will only be able to access knowledge I first approve of you knowing. You may learn some information right off the bat. Other knowledge, it will depend on how I feel of you knowing the knowledge. And now I bless Nehemiah Reyes with the knowledge of the universe." He threw some sand in the air and it landed in my eye. I cursed out loud. I could hear Thoth muttering some words, but I couldn't understand them. A cold breeze lifted me in the air and sucked the sand out of my eye.

"Happy 17th birthday, Nehemiah Reyes. Before you go, there is more I have to tell you. He squeezed his fist and the scenery changed from the sands of Egypt to the cold air of space.

"How did you do that?" I asked incredulously. I was floating in the middle of space and I didn't even need a space suit.

"It's all in the power of illusion. You might access that knowledge, you might not. I am not telling you. But before you awaken, there are some important things I need to tell you. First, do not do not do not let the power get to your head. Remember the ancestors I referred to? Every single one of them has let the power get to their head. They ended up being hunted, and killed. So, I'll say it again. Do not, do not, do not let the power get to your head. Stay low in the shadows, or your enemies could use your knowledge to kill your friends or gain corrupt knowledge, which is basically knowledge they use to insure chaos, create evil, and deceive others. There is a possibility you will become corrupt. You control your destiny there. Use the information I give you as you find best. Second, the knowledge you receive may not be worth knowing. For example, there is no need for you to know how many grains of sand are on a certain beach. Also, knowing when your grandma dies is no picnic either. You may experience negative emotions from such a revelation. You can live the rest of your life afraid to do anything, or you could acknowledge it with a heavy heart and move on. I suggest the latter. You must find the strength to conquer your negative emotions. And finally, you will be part of an ancient prophecy upon your return to Earth. The prophecy goes like this: **When the Black Bird flies home/And the Knowledgeable One hath seen through the earth/Anubis will give birth to an Arcanum/An Arcanum, an organization, a family/A family of truth seekers/A family that threatens its own/And the secret to life/Friends will be lost, enemies will be tested/All to find the sword in the stone. **We shall see each other again." I felt myself fly at great speed towards my body. Upon contact, I woke up with a start.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 5

_House of Reawakening_

The first observation I made when I woke up was how white the walls were. I was practically surrounded by lily-white walls. I felt like I was in Easter Service. It was calm, but at the same time depressing. My next observation was that I was hooked up to some kind of machine which was continuously beeping and spitting out waves of different length. The waves ran left to right and were four rows deep. My focus soon shifted to an elderly woman in the corner. She had light brown eyes and curly grey hair. She looked familiar but I couldn't place my finger on it.

"Thank goodness you're up," the lady exalted walking slowly towards the hospital bed I was in. "I've been so worried about you. I flew here as soon as I heard you were in a coma. How are you feeling?"

"It's unlikely you will get a response, Mrs. Reyes. Most coma patients suffer from aphasia shortly after they awaken," a tall lean man with light blue eyes and short blonde hair explained. It was clear he was a doctor as he wore a stethoscope around his neck. He, like most doctors, was dressed in white and was carrying a clipboard.

"Sorry. I was just so excited I forgot."

"I understand. I'm just telling you how it is. Now that Nehemiah is up, I would like to take him in for aphasia testing." So I was Nehemiah Reyes and the lady could probably pass as my grandma. Yes. She was my grandma. I remember that now. Before I could continue searching my brain for any more information, I went back to sleep and the world turned black.

* * *

I apologize for the short chapter. I opted for a short chapter so I wouldn't have to bore you with the details of recovery. Next chapter takes place on Christmas Day, where Nehemiah is fully recovered. Mystery begins shortly. I am still awaiting guesses as to who the Blackbird is (it is not Corbierre), and what the Sword in the Stone is (it is not Excaliber).


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 6

_December 25, 2013_

_House of Christmas_

In the first week of October, I was allowed to return to Anubis House. Boy was I glad. I hated the hospital food like people do dog food. Over the next two and a half months, I slowly resumed my normal activities. Just like the doctor had said, I spent most of October sleeping. At the end of November, I could stay awake for 19 hours before falling asleep. Now come Christmas time, I wasn't falling asleep in the middle of the day anymore.

"There Jerome is. Come on. Let's open presents," Uncle Ade encouraged. Victor, Trudy, Fabian's mom and dad, Fabian, Mara, Alfie, Alfie's mom and dad, my grandma, and I were patiently waiting around the pine-scented Christmas tree. Sparkling lights of red, blue, and green emitted off the tree.

Uncle Ade was Fabian's uncle who had a crush on Trudy. He had Fabian's eyes and hair, and was a lot dustier having a job as an antique dealer.

"Since when are you so eager to open up presents, Ade?" Fabian teased.

"Anyways, as care taker of this house, I will assign presents. First present is for Amber from her dad. She's not here," Victor announced. He tossed the present to Trudy who tucked it away in the corner.

Amber, Patricia, Mick, Nina, Jerome's family, Mara's family, and another one of Fabian's uncles, Jasper, were unable to come, or on Christmas break.

"Next is for Nina from her gran. Again she is not here," Victor announced. Again, he tossed the present to Trudy who tucked it away in the corner.

"Next is for Fabian's mom from Fabian." Victor handed Mrs. Rutter her present. She received pillows with rock stars on them. Next present was for Fabian from Amber. He got drumstick pencils! Wicked.

"John Clarke from…Jerome! John's not here. Fabian from Trudy." Fabian got socks with guitars on the side.

After all of the presents were open, Trudy left to cook lunch. Some of the best gifts were a stuffed reindeer to Victor from Trudy, a book titled selected poems by Frank O'Hara to my grandma from me, an Egyptian guitar strap to Fabian from Mara, a picture of Fabian to Mr. Rutter from Fabian, and a phi theta kappa silver necklace to Mara from Amber.

"Since we have a white Christmas this year, I will leave you with the opportunity to play with your gifts, play in the snow, or help me in the kitchen," Trudy announced. To her delight, Alfie's mom and Mara played with their gifts. Victor, my grandma, and Fabian's dad played in the snow while the rest of us helped Trudy with dinner.

I was responsible for watching the turkey. When the time came for the turkey to be taken out, Trudy took it out and relieved me of my duties. A short time later, Victor, Fabian's dad, and my grandma were called in. I was still amazed that she was out playing in the snow. I guess some people never get old. Trudy, Fabian's mom, and I served them hot chocolate with marshmallows.

A short while later, dinner was set and everybody left to wash up. When I sat down, I found myself salivating at the smell of the food. After Fabian said prayer, we dug in to a delicious meal of turkey, roast beef, stuffing and gravy, pigs in a blanket, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, Brussels sprouts, parsnips and carrots. No one had room for the Christmas pudding, minced pie.

"Now, if everyone could follow me in to the living room for the Anubis talent show," Trudy spoke up. We followed everyone in to the living room and sat down.

"Victor, would you do the honors?" Trudy remarked.

"Very well. I am going to sing a song very close to my heart and the heart of all Irishmen. Oh Danny Boy, the pipes, the pipes are calling/ from glen to glen, and down the mountain side/ the summer's gone, and all the roses falling/ 'Tis you, 'tis you must go and I must bide… …And I shall sleep in peace until you come to me." Victor sang in his baritone voice. I didn't know he had such a deep voice! The lyrics weren't bad. A couple people stood up, making Victor blush a little.

"Who's next?" Trudy asked.

"I'll do it," I spoke up. I stood up there and sang my original song, Just The Way You Are."

"This was a song I wrote for my girlfriend back in the states**. ****Oh, her eyes, her eyes/Make the stars look like they're not shinin'/Her hair, her hair/Falls perfectly without her trying/She's so beautiful/And I tell her everyday/Yeah**"

I was pleasantly surprised when people clapped for me. Fabian, Mara, and Trudy were the others that sang. And, as expected, they were good singers. Jerome, Mrs. Rutter, and Mrs. Lewis showed off their drawings, Alfie showed us some magic, Mr. Lewis and my grandma read some poetry, and Mr. Rutter stumped us with some mentalism. In the trick he picked a random person, Amber, told them to think of a foreign country they wanted to visit and the age they wanted to be when they visited it. He then made a magic square with the age and had correctly predicted the foreign country she wished to visit.

"Time to go to bed all of you. How did you do that, Mr. Rutter?" Victor ordered.

"Love to tell, can't."

I made my way to my room and after getting ready for the night, slipped in to bed. Fabian came shortly later.

"Can you teach me to play guitar?" I asked.

"Sure. Maybe tomorrow," Fabian replied.

I nodded and was asleep shortly later. While I was sleeping, Thoth visited me in my dream and told me, "A mystery is about to begin." Afterwards, he left. I finally woke up after noon. The news I got from my dream freaked me out, but I let it go to the back of my mind. I made my way to the table and sat down.

"Ah. You're here," Trudy said. She plopped a package down where I was seated.

"It's for you. It's unaddressed. Who could it be from?" Trudy continued.

"I don't know," I admitted.

"Maybe it's a late Christmas present," Trudy mused. I opened up the package and saw the prophecy Thoth had told me about almost three months ago on a piece of paper.

* * *

Hang with me. The mystery is just beginning. I don't own House of Anubis, Just The Way You Are, or Danny Boy. I am presently working on a song about my character's girlfriend going to Broadway which I will title Broadway Star. I saw that mentalism trick once, I was amazed to say the least.


	8. Chapter 8

There is no excuse for not posting something up sooner, there just isn't. I've been kind of relaxed this summer and writing has been the last thing on my mind. I was busy closing out my summer classes. The good news was that I ended up passing both of them with an A!

Chapter 7

December, 26, 2013

House of Photos

I looked at the paper again. It was the exact same as the riddle Thoth told me after I had lost consciousness. Was this a coincidence? No, it seemed too big to be a coincidence. Yet here the riddle was right in front of me. **When the black bird flies home/And the Knowledgeable One hath seen through the earth/Anubis will give birth to an Arcanum**...

"Well what did you get Austin?" Trudy asked. Oh-oh. I couldn't let her know it was a prophecy. It was not as if she would believe me anyways.

"A poem," I blurted out. It was, in essence, a poem.

"What's a poem doing in a package?" Trudy asked.

"Don't know," I admitted. I looked back inside and found what appeared to be a photo album, another piece of paper, and some jewelry.

"That photo album looks ancient," Trudy commented, "No wonder it was shipped in a package." Trudy wasn't kidding. If I didn't know any better, I would have said it was at least one hundred years old.

I carefully placed all the items back in the package and placed it underneath my chair.

"Lunch will be ready shortly. In the meantime feel free to move that package back to your room." Trudy announced. I did as she said, and came back to find Mrs. Rutter, Uncle Ade, Jerome, Alfie, my grandma, and Alfie's dad around the table. Trudy rationed out the leftovers, and we all ate lunch together.

After lunch, I made my way back to our room. Mick was on his bed tossing a tennis ball on the ceiling. Boy was he bored.

"Hey Fabian. You played guitar very well," I commented.

"Me? Nah, I'm not very good. I could teach you if you'd like? Your guitar has been collecting dust all year," Fabian offered. He chuckled at that last part.

"That's my guitar? I don't even play guitar."

"You did when you came here. Then you had your accident. Come on, I'll teach you." Fabian handed me my guitar and grabbed his.

"Guitar lesson Mick," Fabian asked. Mick shook his head. Fabian said okay back and began our lesson. After he taught me the A, E, C, and G chords, we were called out to see Fabian's mom and dad leave. They seemed like such great people. Already out in the hallway, we decided to have a giant snowball fight. After rounding up the gang, minus Trudy, we all went outside.

Victor, Alfie's mom, Alfie, Uncle Ade, and I were matched up against Fabian, Mara, Jerome, Alfie's dad, and my grandma. It was essentially a four on four battle as Victor and my grandma hid behind the snow fort. I was pelted several times by Fabian and Mara. In the end, however, my team was declared the winner. How, I don't even know. But I wasn't complaining.

We came inside to some hot cocoa and more leftovers. We finally made our way to the mince pies for dessert. I stopped after my first bite, but the other English residents devoured them like candy on a stick. Clearly it was an English favorite.

"Sorry you didn't like the pie. How about I make you some of my delicious homemade cookies?" Trudy offered. I eagerly accepted. If her dinner was delicious, her desserts would be much better. After dinner, I headed back to my room to try and make sense of my package.

I began with the riddle.

'When the blackbird flies home. I assume a blackbird is a crow. Well no, not necessarily. It could be any blackbird. Well no, they would all fly home in the winter, wherever home is. Could the blackbird be Corbierre, Victor's stuffed blackbird? No, that makes no sense. Corbierre isn't alive. Unless he traveled with Victor. If the blackbird is an alias….No, a person can't fly. Unless fly means to travel as in on an airplane. But then, where is home? And why doesn't the riddle say comes home? AHHH this is so confusing.'

I looked at the riddle for a couple maybe half an hour more. I was able to deduce I was the Knowledgable One. I was unable to figure out what see through the earth meant however. The only other thing I deduced was the Sword in the Stone was Excalibur. I would go on some journey to find it.

Next I pulled out the sheet of paper. All it had was a bunch of names on it. Half of the people were on one side and half were on the other. Marlon Kelley and Darlene Rice, Francisco McCarthy and Blanca Ford, Rodolfo Wheeler and Dana Jones, Erik Joseph and Belinda Love were just some. I would guess there to be a total of 60 or 70 pairs of names. I stored the piece of paper to check the names on my laptop later and pulled out the photo album.

Man this thing was ancient. I peered around looking for a date and found it. The year was 1913, almost a hundred years ago. I made sure to turn the pages carefully. Looking through the photo album, I saw the Frobisher-Smythe's standing in front of the construction of the building of what looked like Anubis House. So this house was almost a hundred years old. I looked more carefully through the photo album and saw what looked like Robert Frobisher-Smythe in front of his desk. The desk was the exact same as the one in between the kitchen and family room.

I found several other pictures of the desk and stopped at one in particular. I examined it and was about to turn the page when I saw something out of the corner of my eye. I examined the picture closely and found a secret compartment that was left open.

Eager, I raced out of my room and made my way to the desk. To my luck, no one was around. I began to fiddle around with the desk searching for any way to open that compartment. I was unable to find how to open it.

"Flip the frame of the man on the camel," a voice from within my head said. I decided to listen, found the frame right next to the desk, and flipped it open. There was a button.

"Press it," the voice from within my head said. I pressed the button and heard a click. I looked and found a secret compartment had opened up. I carefully closed the frame back and pulled out a journal with an F on the side. F for Frobisher perhaps? Just then, I heard footsteps approaching and the door flung open.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

House of Decoding

December 27, 2013

I read the message again and still didn't get it. I pulled up a Word document from my computer and copied the message. When I had finished, I still didn't get it. I read the first line.

When the man behind the wall has seen what cannot be seen.

I didn't have any ideas as to the meaning of that first part. What wall? It was just too vague. The second half of the line didn't make any sense either. The next line was self-explanatory. Maybe Uncle Ade would know a mystery involving a pharaoh and a queen.

Your journey will begin on a starless night was also self-explanatory.

The rest was unknown to me. Whom could I convince to help me with this riddle, and how would I avoid suspicion? Could Victor help me? He could, but I didn't feel comfortable around him yet. I can imagine no one would be comfortable around him.

Recalling that Uncle Ade was upstairs, I rumbled upstairs and found Uncle Ade in the guest bedroom.

"Do you know of any mysteries involving a pharaoh and a queen?" I asked.

"Sorry. Can't say I do. Pharaoh doesn't necessarily mean a ruler of Egypt. If it is lowercase, it can mean a tyrant who rules with an iron fist. Same is true with queen. It could mean anyone female ruler." Of course. How stupid I was to think that someone would know the answer. I thanked Ade for his help and went back downstairs. I found Mara reading a book on the couch.

"Mara," I asked.

"Yes," she said looking up.

"Who would the man behind the wall be?"

"Easy. You." That answer most certainly caught me off guard.

"Me?"

"Yup. Your name is Nehemiah. He was the man who helped rebuild the New Jerusalem. One of the terms associated with his name is the man behind the wall." So invisible ink must be the second half of the message. I was dealing with a cunning Robert Frobyisher-Smythe. I next asked Mara if she knew who Thomas Crapper was. She didn't know.

'Should I ask for her help Thoth?'

'I have no say in this.' Shall I face cunning with cunning? I didn't think long about it before asking Mara if I could get her help with a riddle. Mara agreed and told me to hand her the riddle after dinner. I agreed and headed back to my room.

'Yes. Someone to help me. Finally.' I pulled up the word document and printed it out.

"Where's the printer?" I asked. Fabian looked up from the book he was reading.

"Victor's office." Oh dear. I rushed out of the room and ran upstairs. Victor was waiting for me when I came upstairs. He held the prophecy that I had printed off in his hand.

"Here you are Mr. Whitehorne. We need to talk."

Hopefully he was talking, not about the prophecy that I just printed out, but rules regarding the use of the printer. If he was referring to the prophecy, I had printed out, than he actually might be able to help me. However, I did not want to involve him in my future adventures at this house. Hopefully he would help me decode some of the lines.

"What do you need," I asked, trying to not let him know how worried I was. I suppose he could also have been talking about the diary of Frobisher-Smythe's that I found, although he might not have made all the calls he was trying to make since we last talked.

"Where did you find this?" he asked curiously.

"Mail," I said hesitantly.

Victor eyed me in a way that expressed his doubt, but seemed to accept my answer. "I doubt that, but I'm sure you have reasons for not telling me. Did you know this prophecy is about you?"

"No, I didn't."

"Interesting….Tell me, when is your birthday?"

"As far as I know, July 23rd of the year 1994. Why?"

"July 23, how about that. That only confirms my suspicions. Now I know you have some questions for me, so I will help answer them. Could you meet me downstairs tonight at midnight in the cellar?"

"It's out of bounds for me," I reminded him.

"If you are who I think you are, then I can make an exception. Oh, and bring the prophecy with you. Whatever you do, don't tell anyone about this meeting. This is crucial. We must be wary of the BlackBird."

"You mean Corbierre?"

"No! The BlackBird's not Corbierre. There is a prophecy that foretells an epic fight between the 4 July Babes and the BlackBird. It is clear the BlackBird is a person. Who though, I don't know. The fact is, we know very little about the BlackBird. I will answer all the questions you have, but not now. I must prepare for your initiation tonight."

With that, Victor ushered me out of the office, but not before handing me my prophecy. I slowly made my way downstairs and decided to see if I could figure out whom Thomas Crapper was. He ended up being a plumber, so I assumed the place was the men's bathroom. The only question was, was it the bathroom near Alfie and Jerome's room? Boy, I hoped so.

After giving Mara the sheet containing the prophecy during dinner, I went back to my room and spent the next several hours searching up everything I could find on Egyptian rulers. I found several mysteries pertaining to King Tut's death and who the name of the pharaoh during Exodus. I also found mysteries regarding the death of Cleopatra and several other sites of Egyptian rulers. By the time I had finished my first search, I was already experiencing information overload. I turned off the computer, set my alarm for 11:58 and went to bed.

When I woke up, I was slightly surprised to find that Fabian was not presently in the room. I guess he went to the bathroom. I opened up the door carefully and snuck around to find the cellar door locked. Great! Now how was I supposed to enter? Without thinking, I knocked on the door. Victor came, opened it for me, and led me downstairs to the cellar.

The cellar was creepy with the lights turned out. I managed to catch the outlines of several chemical jars, and maybe 7 or 8 hooded figures. Had Victor not assured me it was safe to begin with, I probably would have run in fright. Hesitantly, I stood around in the circle.

I was so scared; I didn't really comprehend anything of what was going on. There were these mysterious chants, almost scary. Then the next thing I knew, Victor received some blood from a snake and put it in a cornucopia of some sorts and raised it to his lips.

"Gross!" I heard someone exclaim from just around the corner. Curious, I left my spot and rounded the corner. To my surprise, I saw Nina, Fabian, Amber, and Alfie trying to hide in the corner. Their eyes pleaded to me to let them go.

"Who is it," Victor asked. Before I could answer him, a rat scurried past me and off into the darkness of the cellar.

"Just a rat. Let us proceed."

After quickly shooing the gang away, I headed back to the initiation, all the while thinking, 'What were the 4 of them up to?'


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 8

Same day 9:30

House of Symbols

I quickly managed to close the passage just as Alfie's mom came in. It was probably best that I did close the passage. After all, I probably was the first person in probably a century to find it.

"Doing some light reading?" Alfie's mom asked.

"Yeah," I lied. That would act as a good excuse in case anyone ever questioned me about the journal.

I carried the journal with me to my room. Fabian was out, so I tossed the book in the package I had received. I would most certainly look at it tomorrow. I grabbed my computer and began inserting the names from the sheet of paper in to a Word document, so I could search them on the Internet in the future. What did they all have in common?

At around 9:50, I made my way into the bathroom. I finished and was in bed when Victor gave his pin speech. I saved the document to my drive and went to bed.

Next morning, Fabian woke me up for breakfast. I slumped out of bed and made my way to the table. The table was full of breakfast food. Eggs, bacon, sausages, French toast, pancakes, milk, orange juice, and cereal boxes were around the table in no particular order.

"What a feast," I exclaimed.

"I know. Alfie's parents are leaving today and Trudy offered them some left-overs," Fabian exclaimed, "Needless to say, they accepted."

Trudy added some muffins and syrup to the table. After Mr. Lewis blessed the food, everyone dug in. After some French toast, pancakes, a couple glasses of orange juice, muffins, and some eggs I was stuffed. Just looking around, I could tell everyone else was full, or getting full.

"That was a delicious meal Trudy. My wife and I will take some of the left-overs home with us," Alfie's dad said after a brief pause.

"Feel free to take some. Let me get some bags," Trudy encouraged.

Trudy packed away some food while the two left upstairs to get their suitcases. I was surprised when the other house members brought the left-overs to Trudy.

"Thanks, darlings." Trudy exclaimed. She had just finished packing some eggs in a bag when Mr. and Mrs. Lewis came downstairs. After packing up the left-overs, we said goodbye. Mr. and Mrs. Lewis promised to come back later.

After they had left, I walked back into my room to practice guitar. I had got the hang of the chords, but was working on speed right now. I practiced combining the chords together, but could never seem to put together a song. Fabian came in and saw me practicing.

"You're getting good. Let's play a song with the chords you know. Here is a love song called Achy Breaky Heart. All you need is the C and G chords." Fabian wrote out the words to Achy Breaky Heart and the Chords that accompanied the lyrics.

"I'll sing, you play." After the first practice of Achy Breaky Heart, Fabian congratulated me. He did mention that my timing was a little off. He suggested practicing Achy Breaky Heart and gave me the D chord to practice.

After Fabian had left, I snuck a look at the book I had found in the secret hiding space. Unfortunately, I couldn't read anything. It appeared to be made of symbols of sorts. I only recognized an ankh, a sarcophagus, and a river, but I had to assume the symbols all had something to do with Egypt.

I wonder if this code had been decoded. If anyone would know, it would probably be Victor. He seemed very knowledgeable about the Frobisher-Smythes. I made my ways to Victor's office and knocked.

"One second," Victor cried. He hurriedly hid some papers he was working on.

"Come in."

"Was Robert Frobisher Smythe a….a…", I began stepping in.

'Cryptologist,' Thoth finished.

"Cryptologist," I finished.

"I do not know. He was envied for his masterpieces in the field of Egyptology. It was certainly possible he wrote in code to hide his secrets from other Egyptologists. Why do you ask?"

'Oh s^%*. I can't believe I just gave what I found away. Should I tell him Thoth?'

'Irrelevant. He's not going to figure out the code. That being said, he will decipher the symbols for you. You will be the one who cracks the code. Who you get involved in this case is another matter entirely."

"I found something I believe belongs to Robert Frobisher-Smythe. However, it is written in code."

"Is it a book of some sort? Have an F on the side?"

"Yeah. How did you know?"

"No. No. No. That can't be. It's impossible. But yet, he claims it is so. Let me make some phone calls. I will be back with you tomorrow."

"Vic-"

"I am very busy. Goodbye," Victor said ushering me out of the door.

'What was that all about," I wondered, already out in the hallway. I didn't give it much further thought, but instead, went downstairs. Seeing Trudy in the kitchen reminded me of the cookies I had wanted.

"Did you make me the cookies yet Trudy?" I asked.

"I've been busy. Not yet. Why don't you find something to do."

I thanked Trudy for the information and went back into my room. I grabbed the photo-album I received where I had first found a lead to the diary, or book. I was still not sure what it was.

"Yo mate. Turn on the light. I can't see my Bio homework," Mick cried.

'It's not that dark Mick. Why would he be working on his Bio homework over Christmas break? His biology teacher must be tough.' I carefully made my way over, and turned the light on.

"Thanks mate." I nodded, and made my way back to the photo-album. To my amazement, the cover of the photo-album sparkled a gold color. Finally, a message appeared. It read:

When the man behind the wall has seen what cannot be seen

A mystery will begin involving a pharaoh and a queen

Your journey will begin on a starless night

When you find Thomas Crapper's home and go up, up, up, right

And then left, south, south, up, up, right, left, south, right

And then left, south, right, right, up, left, left, up, right, right will reveal quite a sight

Take the sour wines and dump to find

A marrow revelation and a relaxed state of mind

'What on Earth could that mean?'


End file.
